Ants Control

Our climate in South Africa is perfect for ants to flourish in because the majority of ant species prefer sunny climates.

Black or garden ants don’t carry diseases but can still be an annoyance when they enter your home, considering they frequently traverse unsanitary areas before they wind up on your countertops.

If you’ve seen a few ants running around on the floor, they might be just passing through. Monitor them though, as they might be the sign of an ant epidemic.

Signs you might have an Ant Infestation

Live ants – You might have a problem if there is a lot of ants in your home or workplace, specifically if they are in an area where food is prepared.

Ant pathways – If there is a path in or out of your home, it might be a sing that they are laying down a trail of pheromone to their food source which then leads other ants to the food as well.

Ant nests – If you see small piles of dirt around your home, it might be a sign of an invasion. Some ant species like to build their home in quiet, dark places to make it hard to spot.

Get rid of Ants

There are a lot of DIY products available on the market to get rid of ants but many times the infestation is more severe than anticipated, and the help of a professional pest control service is needed to get control over the invasion and avoid a reappearance of the ants.

Our pest control technicians are professionally trained, understand the habits of different ant species and can offer the most effective ant management solution. We prioritise your family and pets’ safety, thus use environmentally friendly products.

Ant Species

Argentine Ant

Appearance

Worker ants are about 1.6mm long and light to dark brown in colour.

Lifecycle

Worker ants mate in spring and grow in numbers until autumn.

Reproductive Kings and Queens (winged ants), produced in early spring, mature within three months and mate soon after.

No swarming is observed as the Argentine ant multiplies in their nest.

Habits

Nests are not very easy to track because the worker ants might follow food paths for long distances.

Even though they prefer sweet foods, they are more than happy to eat live/dead insects, meats, cereal and fruit.

Argentine ants are known to drive out other ant species from an area.

Black House Ant

Appearance

The black house ant is about 2.5 – 3mm long and shiny black in colour.

Lifecycle

Larva hatches from the egg like a white-colored grub that is narrower for the head. They are fed by the adults.

The larva is creamy-white-colored and looks a lot like the adult ant but sometimes there is a protective silk cocoon around them.

The adult emerges using the three defined body sections: mind, thorax and abdomen.

The amount of time between your egg stage and ants proving itself to be adults may take six days or even more. It will depend on some factors like the types of ant, the temperature and also the accessibility to food.

Fertilised eggs become female ants while unfertilised eggs become males.

Habits

These insects are thought to spread illnesses because they are particularly fond of garbage and dog faeces. They are also drawn to sweet foods.

The very best control measure is to locate the colony and eradicate it.

Coastal Brown Ant

Appearance

The ant is about 1.5 – 2.5mm long and yellow-brown in colour.

Lifecycle

Eggs laid are small in quantities.

The adults feed larvae, and after several moults the larvae pupate.

Once adults, they can be divided into three categories:

Workers are wingless and sterile and have a lifespan of approximately 12 months. They are the nest-builders, food suppliers, feeders of larvae, take care of eggs and defend the nest.

Men are winged and exist to mate with girls.

Females will also be winged until after mating and are the biggest in dimensions. Female ants end up being the reproductive queen from the colony and live for several years.

Habits

Nest in soil and make long pathways throughout the house including gardens and walls.

They prefer dry areas for nesting while feasting on meat, greasy foods and sometimes sweets and fruit.

Fire Ant

Appearance

Queens are about 15mm in length while workers are 3 – 6 mm in length. They are coppery-brown around the head, and the body but have a darker abdomen.

Lifecycle

After swarming in the nest and mating, the queen looks for an appropriate place to put her eggs.

Larvae hatch within eight to ten days while the pupal stage can last for 9 to 16 days.

Larvae feasts upon secretions in the queen’s salivary glands and damaged lower wing muscles before the first worker ants emerge. Following this first batch of larvae the queen’s role returns to egg lounging – she will lay as much as 1500 each day. Worker ants continue larval care, nest building and searching for food.

Fertile men are created later within the season.

Habits

Fire ant workers are omnivores.

Workers also collect honeydew and search for sweet food, proteins, and fats.

Mating between queens and fertile males happens around mid to late Summer.

Males die after mating.

Nest locations can be a found as high as 40 cm alongside objects located on the ground.

If irritated, these react vigorously and may cause an unpleasant sting.

These ants are a major farming and concrete pest, destroying crops and invading areas both outdoors and inside.

Garden Ant

Appearance

Workers are about 4-5mm long while queens are 15mm long. They are dark brown-black in colour.

Life Cycle

Queens lay eggs at the end of spring.

Larvae hatch 3-4 days later.

Larvae feast upon secretions in the queen’s salivary glands before the first worker ants emerge.

Worker ants continue larval care, nest building and food foraging.

Fertile men are created later in the season.

Habits

Worker ants follow well-defined trails towards food sources. They prefer sweet foods, but high protein foods may also be consumed.

Mating between queens and fertile males happens mid to late summer time. Males die after mating.

Nest locations are mostly outdoors in the soil and underneath paving slabs. It can be recognised by finely powdered soil around next exits.

Pavement Ant

Appearance

Pavement ants re 3mm long and dark brown or blackish in colour. They have six legs, two spines on the back and two nodes on petiole. They are often mistaken for termites.

Life Cycle

Visible mostly in spring and summer but can make an appearance any time of year in warm climates.

Habits

They eat almost anything that humans eat, as well as pet food.

They often enter houses at night, looking for food. They may even move through pipes and electrical wires.

They tend to nest in the grass or under stones. You will most likely find colonies near a water source.

Pharaoh’s Ant

Appearance

Workers are 1.5-2mm long and yellow-brown in colour with a brown abdomen. Males are 3mm long, black in colour and have wings. Queens are about 3.5-6mm long, dark red in colour with wings.

Life Cycle

Colonies consist of multiple queens and swarming can occur in any season.

Winged adults rarely fly so rarely seen. Wings are lost after mating.

Habits

Well-defined trails are laid out and frequently connected with heating systems. They tend to feed inside on high protein foods like meat, fats, blood and dead insects.

New colonies are frequently created through nests that have been disturbed.

Each queen produces as much as 3,500 eggs in the lifetime.

Nest locations can be found in heated buildings like hospitals. They also love damp conditions.

Colonies can vary in size, from a couple of dozens to 300,000 ants.

Sugar Ant

Appearance

This species vary greatly in size and colour. Ants range from 2.5 to 15 mm and are the most frequently seen ants because of their size and vibrant in colour.

Lifecycle

The insect’s life cycle goes through egg, larva, pupa and adult phases.

Habits

They frequently nest in holes in wood to the roots of plants, twigs of timber, between rocks or even in soil.

Being mostly active at night, they are however sometimes spotted during the day.

When defending themselves, these ants can spray acid using their abdomens to discourage predators. They don’t sting but do possess the capability to bite.

They mostly feed on insects both dead or alive, garbage and sweet foods.

They rarely enter houses.

As a pest control specialist, we possess the latest equipment and techniques to get your ant problem under control. Our pest control technicians are specifically trained in the removal of ants along with other unwanted pests. We have experience in working with a variety of pest invasions. We react to call outs rapidly and efficiently and supply an expert service on every occasion. We pride ourselves in offering this outstanding service at very competitive rates.

We provide the best ants control services and the surrounding areas, and as the acknowledged experts in the elimination of household pests we guarantee you an efficient and effective solution every time.